CHAMPION EFFORT: Toomey claims Australian lightweight title

BOXING - AFTER achieving one of his lifelong ambitions, Dubbo boxer Robert ‘Gummy’ Toomey is planning on ticking another off his list next March.

Despite dropping a point for an alleged headbutt, Toomey scored a unanimous points decision over Sydney’s Anthony Brownlie to win the Australian lightweight (61.25kg) title at Toukley last Saturday night, the crowning moment of a boxing career which started about two decades ago.

With the gold firmly wrapped around his waist, Toomey will now start planning for a title defence in Dubbo early next year.

“I always wanted to win an Australian title and I’ve done that now,” Toomey said.

“My other thing was that once I won it I wanted my first defence to be in Dubbo in front of all my family and friends.

“My manager will work on finding me an opponent and we’ll go from there. At the moment I just want to enjoy my Christmas with my family.”

All three judges gave the fight easily to Toomey, with their margins being seven, seven and nine points respectively.

While it sounds easy on paper, a cut above Toomey’s eye suffered in the early rounds suggests otherwise.

In fact the entire process of winning the fight was a difficult one.

“I had blood trickling down into my eye so I had trouble seeing but I just kept listening to my corner and they told me I was going well,” Toomey said.

“I didn’t think it was as easy as the judges seemed to score it but I felt like I was in control most of the time.”

In the lead-up to the fight, Toomey dropped about eight kilograms through weekly sessions at Billy Hussein’s gym in Sydney as well as a training camp in Thailand.

As well, two prior fights he had accepted fell over.

“I had a shoulder reconstruction on my right shoulder and I needed to get back into shape after that so I was running about 60km a week and doing morning and afternoon sessions as well,” Toomey said.

“My left shoulder is gone now but I want to defend the title so I’ll do that in March and then go and have it reconstructed as well.”

Toomey’s trainer, former world kickboxing champion John Hallford, is also extremely proud of his charge.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a professional Australian titleholder from Dubbo,” Hallford said.

“We’ve had a lot of top amateur fighters from here but ‘Gummy’ has created a bit of history with this one.”